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The Isle of Man is most notably famous for three things:
- Its offshore financial status as a Global financial centre
- Oldest continuous government , Tynwald
- The Tourist Trophy races (TT Races)

This jewel of an island lies nestled in the middle of the Irish Sea and supplied with a diverse sea life which is fed from the Gulf Stream. It is a warm, welcoming island that although small in stature (it measures 37 miles in length and 15 miles at its widest point) it is globally recognised as a world leader in aerospace manufacture and financial services. Founded over one thousand years ago by Scandinavian Vikings the Tynwald Government still runs the country (which is a Crown Dependency and therefore not part of the United Kingdom).

However, all of this pales into insignificance in light of our Motorsport history!

How it all began:
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 (United Kingdom) which had increased the speed limit for motorcars to 14 mph from previous 4 mph speed limit in rural area and 2 mph in towns. There were some who wished to see the speed limit removed altogether. The influential Automobile Club (soon to become the Royal Automobile Club) was split on the subject; the chair of the working group on the bill was Lord Montagu (MP) who took a moderate line supporting speed limits, but was opposed on this by the chairman of the organisation Roger Wallace who were 'strongly against any speed limit' and described Montagu as a 'traitor'. The secretary of the club publicly proposed a 'compromise' of 25 mph without authorisation.

Following the very early road races held in France the Isle of Man was soon approach by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to establish a car and motorcycle race on its open roads as the Motor Car Act 1903 did not apply here. RAC (Which was given the Royal Warrant by enthusiast King Edward VII) was permitted to establish the Tourist Trophy Races (Isle of Man.) The Tourist Trophy is still awarded today and is the longest continuous motorsport trophy in the world. To this day we do not have a national speed limit which means that in areas where there are no speed restrictions we can ride/drive as fast as it is safe to do so.

The RAC Tourist Trophy Races for cars ran from 1905-1922 and today the Isle of Man still holds numerous car events such as The British Rally Championship, The Manx Classic organised by the Manx Motorsport Club and various car rallies throughout the year.

However, the Isle of Man has continuously held prestigious motorcycle events since the days of the Gordon Bennett Races in 1904. The T.T. was part of the F.I.M. Motorcycle World Championship from 1949-1976 (the year Manx Leathers was established.) In following years the T.T. Festival held a round of the T.T. Formula 1 World Championship up until 1990 when the world championship was disbanded.

To this very day the top road racers in the world experience the ultimate challenge and adrenaline rush no other circuit can provide.

TT Race History:
On Tuesday 28th May 1907 the first Tourist Trophy Motorcycle Race was held on the St John's Course. This course ran from the historic Tynwald Hill, as far north as the village of Kirk Michael (a course which is still used today as a section of the 37 3/4 mile Mountain Course), then on to the city of Peel and finishing the 15 mile run at St John's.
In 1911 the organisers and competitors decided that once again the motorcycles were able to tackle the enduring Manx Snaefell Road, and so the ultimate challenge in motorcycling history was born.

For over a hundred years man and machine have endeavoured to conquer the Mountain Course pushing the riders skills, and asking the toughest questions of the worlds most prestigious motorcycles ever produced. This is truly a feat of endurance..!

The isle of Man T.T. Festival is historically held in May/June but there are other motorcycle road races held on the Island including The Southern 100 Races (held at the Billown Course in Castletown in July), the Jurby Road Races (June and July) and The Manx Grand Prix once again held on the infamous Mountain Course in August/September each year.

Nowhere else on this planet can you feel the thrill of motorcycles powering past you on public roads at speeds in excess 200mph, and given that this spectacle can be but a few feet from you is something that you cannot put into words, dont take our word for it, come and see for yourself!

ISLE OF MAN - MOTORSPORT MECCA!